After nearly three decades in fundraising, I want to let you in on a secret: There is a faster path to transformational fundraising. It’s not new. I didn’t invent it. But it works. And most development directors still aren’t doing it. Shift Your Mindset → Transform Your Fundraising Truly impactful fundraising isn’t quick or easy. But … [Read more...]
Resilience in Fundraising: How to Turn “No” Into Life-Long Success
As a fundraiser and nonprofit leader, you hear “no” a lot. And it takes resilience to pick yourself up and face the next day -- or the next donor. I’ve long believed that major gift fundraisers should hear “no” about 25% of the time. I'll explain why. Aim for Hearing "No" About 25% of the Time If you receive a “yes” 100% of the time, … [Read more...]
Fundraising Practice Makes Perfect: Interview with Mallory Erickson of Practivated
I recently had the opportunity to interview Mallory Erickson, founder of Practivated. Practivated is an AI-guided platform designed to help fundraisers practice speaking with donors, thereby strengthening donor connections through confident, authentic conversations. The Need for a Platform Like Practivated AE: Why did you create … [Read more...]
4 Great Tips to Make Fundraising 10 Times Easier
I recently asked about your biggest fundraising challenges. Thank you to everyone who responded. That became the basis for this point, and my top answers appear below in a short-list of tips. 4 Tips to Simplify Your Fundraising Most fundraiser frustrations boil down to the fact that fundraising can be difficult. Here are four suggestions … [Read more...]
How Many Major Gift Asks Should You Be Making Each Year?
Fifteen years ago, I published my first book, 50 Asks in 50 Weeks. Seven years later, I released Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops. That means I’ve been writing and speaking about major gifts fundraising and the art of asking for a solid 15 years. Last week, I received a great question: How many asks should fundraisers be making … [Read more...]
The Art of Storytelling for Nonprofit Fundraisers: A 3-Act Structure
If you want donors to give — and give generously — you need to do more than present facts and figures. You need to tell stories. A compelling story draws people in, makes them care, and moves them to act. One of the most timeless and effective ways to tell a story is using the 3-act structure: Exposition Conflict Resolution I … [Read more...]
The Smartest and Easiest Way to Raise More Money in 2025
Are you ready to unlock the true potential of your major gift fundraising? If so, you need to count your asks. Do you ever get the feeling you could raise more money? Is one reason because you didn’t ask as often as you could have? I’m confident it’s not because you didn’t want to ask. And it certainly wasn’t due to a lack of trying. … [Read more...]
Easy Does it: Solicit a Major Gift by Unlocking Your Inner Child
As children, we have no trouble asking for things we want. When we're small, we ask for toys, games, and candy. And while we hear “no” frequently as children, it doesn’t seem to deter us from asking again, and again, and again. Yet, somehow by the time we reach adulthood, “no” seems harder to swallow and our instinct to ask for what we want … [Read more...]
5 Reasons NOW is a Great Time to Ask for Major Gifts (or Start a Capital Campaign)
If there are leaders at your organization saying it’s not a good time to raise money, today’s post is for you (feel free to pass it along to them). Past is Prologue During the pandemic, many people though it was a bad time to raise money. With so much uncertainty in the world. Today feels very uncertain too. But that doesn’t mean you … [Read more...]
How to Successfully Ask Your Board Members for Gifts
Imagine this... Your board president starts a meeting by letting every board member know that you are counting on 100% board participation this year. (She’s off to a good start.) Then she proceeds to hand out a pledge form and asks people to send it in before the next meeting. She then calls for approval of last month’s minutes. That’s … [Read more...]
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